Utah too dependent on federal dollars, state auditor warns

Don't you hold our political leaders accountable
for the funds already used for Medicaid, Highways, and Transportation.

It's not the lack of funds, but how it's been managed.

Roads, and bridges has been used many times for raising taxes. Wake up.

TruthseekerSLO, CA

Dec. 4, 2013 8:57 a.m.

Utah dependent on federal dollars

And

tithing/LDS church
dollars.

samhillSalt Lake City, UT

Dec. 4, 2013 8:21 a.m.

The bottom line problem, both here and in Washington, is one of dishonesty. The
dishonesty of thinking we can spend more than we make.

It's a
practice we've been engaged in, collectively and for many individuals, for
**decades** and on both sides of the aisle, though more egregiously on the
Democrat side.

The "fix" can only come from the electorate.
The same electorate that has been placing these dishonest politicians, as
representatives of themselves, into power.

So, frankly, I don't
think we've got a good chance of avoiding the looming disaster these and
many other people are and have been warning us about. The economic disturbances
and dislocations of 2008's recession are a mere foretaste of the much more
difficult times this kind of financial dishonesty will cause.

I'm very sorry to say it seems inevitable that we're going to
eventually experience the reasons why the saying, "Honesty is the best
policy", was once so common.

NorthernLogan, UT

Dec. 4, 2013 8:05 a.m.

Why yes Linda going it alone is a great idea compared to the alternative.

stevo123slc, ut

Dec. 4, 2013 7:23 a.m.

Mr Dougal and Rep. Ivory, the go to team to take the public lands heritage of
Utah and move it into private hands as soon as possible.

LindaGJ Salt Lake City, UT

Dec. 4, 2013 7:01 a.m.

So, which would you like to give up? The student loans? The new aircraft at
Hill? The national parks--yes, I know you want to own those, but look at the
cost to operate! The interstate highway funds UDOT loves so much? The HUD
funding and other sources that are paying for planning to accommodate our
population growth? The money for UTA and especially that built TRAX? We use
money from the wealthier east coast states to do these things, want to go it
alone?

Ricardo CarvalhoProvo, UT

Dec. 4, 2013 6:40 a.m.

When a government official mimics comment board posters with "Wake Up",
I can't help but wonder about the quality of the argument.

My2CentsTaylorsville, UT

Dec. 4, 2013 4:09 a.m.

This is something I have been trying to warn every state worker and politician
is a dangerous economic bombshell about to explode and put this state into such
an upheaval of collapse that Utah will take decades to recover.

Any
state department that is dependent on federal funding should be shut down and
closed out, this includes health care, welfare, UTA, and eduction and use only
ready cash and assets from state and local taxes be their budget. The pork is at
an end and no one is willing to be realistic about the facts we are still in a
depression glossed over by declining federal funds.

We hear and worry
about the $17 trillion federal debt but never do we hear about the states level
of debt. Utah is covering up an even bigger lie and its about to bombshell Utah
into collapse.

Education has become so corrupt and dependent on
governemnt and illegal alien occupation that it has out grown its ability to
sustain what they can't control and are taking every avenue of revenue
acquisition to punishment tax on parents for their children not performing to or
beyond common core testable standards.

Kings CourtAlpine, UT

Dec. 3, 2013 11:43 p.m.

A good chunk of Federal dollars goes to Medicaid, but no worries since many of
our local politicians are Darwinists and believe in survival of the fittest. A
good chunk of our Federal dollars goes toward highways and transportation costs,
but no worries. Our legislature is not about to raise gas taxes to pay for the
roads we use. The verdict. Business as usual.

worfMcallen, TX

Dec. 3, 2013 10:19 p.m.

This is water to a thirsty man.

DN Subscriber 2SLC, UT

Dec. 3, 2013 8:29 p.m.

Wise advice from someone who is familiar with the issues.

Someone in
the state needs to be keeping track of every federal dollar we get, and more
importantly all the strings attached. If we lose (or decline) that specific
"bit of cheese in the trap" what mandated actions that came attached can
we eliminate? What reports back to federal bureaucrats can be eliminated (and
our own bureaucrats reassigned to more productive work)?

Utah's
ideas are often better than the federal mandates and if we can escape those, we
may well be able to do better.

Education is one area where innovative
approaches are constantly stifled by the education establishment, both the
unions, the "administrators" and most especially the federal Department
of Education. This may be an opportunity to eliminate costly roadblocks at the
same time funding is cut.

We need to get Congress to think more like
the Utah Legislature, instead of running up $17 trillion in debt.

NorthernLogan, UT

Dec. 3, 2013 8:27 p.m.

I love this, thank you for making us aware , thank you for helping Utah
understand. More people need to read this.